Teddy Pendergrass, R&B Soul Singer, Dies at 59 - The New York Times The New York Times Music |Teddy Pendergrass, R&B Soul Singer, Dies at 59 Search Continue reading the main story Teddy Pendergrass, the Philadelphia soul singer whose husky, potent baritone was one definition of R&B seduction in the 1970s but whose career was transformed in 1982 when he was severely paralyzed in an auto accident, died on Wednesday night in Bryn Mawr, Pa. He was 59. His death was confirmed by his publicist, Lisa Barbaris, who said Mr. Pendergrass had been treated for colon cancer since August at Bryn Mawr Hospital and had suffered many complications. As the lead singer for Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, and in a solo career in which he sold millions of albums, Mr.

Pendergrass brought gospel dynamics to bedroom vows in songs like “If You Don’t Know Me by Now,” “The Love I Lost,” “Close the Door,” “Turn Off the Lights” and “Love T.K.O.” His performances rose from breathy whispers to gutsy exhortations, making his voice the deeper, more aggressive counterpart to the styles of 1970s soul men like Al Green and Marvin Gaye. It was the flagship sound for Philadelphia International Records, riding lush strings and big-band disco from the producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. Philadelphia International’s songwriters provided Mr. Pendergrass with material that was forthright but never crude, promising nothing more explicit than a back rub. Advertisement Continue reading the main story “Teddy had that big, booming baritone voice, but he was a tender man,” Mr. Huff said in a telephone interview Thursday. “He was very lovable. You could hear it in his music.” By the late ’70s, Mr. Pendergrass’s concerts — some of them presented for women only — drew screaming, ecstatic crowds. Women would fling teddy bears and lingerie onstage. Mr. Gamble called Mr.

Pendergrass “the black Elvis.” Photo Teddy Pendergrass performing at Avery Fisher Hall in New York City on Sept. 2,1978. Credit Ebet Roberts Mr. Pendergrass was a hitmaker for a decade. Then, on March 18, 1982, on a winding road in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, Mr. Pendergrass’s Rolls-Royce smashed into a highway divider and a tree, a result of either brake failure or a faulty electric system that had disabled the power steering. Spinal cord injuries left him paralyzed from the chest down at 31. But after extensive physical therapy he resumed his recording career and had Top 10 rhythm and blues hits and gold albums into the ’90s. His voice was less forceful but still recognizable, as he substituted nuance for lung power. Though he could no longer tour, a worldwide television audience saw him sing at the Live Aid concert in Philadelphia in 1985, and he returned occasionally to the stage in the 1990s and 2000s. Theodore DeReese Pendergrass Jr.

was born on March 26, 1950, in Kingstree, S.C., and moved to Philadelphia as an infant with his mother, Ida Pendergrass. She survives him, along with his wife, Joan; his children, Teddy Pendergrass II, Trisha Pendergrass and La Donna Pendergrass; and four grandchildren. Growing up in North Philadelphia, Mr. Pendergrass was steeped in both gospel and soul music. He was 2 years old when he first stood on a chair to sing at a storefront Holiness church, and with his mother’s encouragement he often attended church seven days a week. But he was also drawn to the Uptown Theater, which presented top performers on the R&B circuit. When he was a teenager his mother gave him a set of drums, and he taught himself to play them. Mr. Pendergrass dropped out of high school to become a musician, working with R&B and doo-wop groups. In 1969 he joined Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, a vocal group that had been working in Philadelphia since the mid-1950s. Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address.

Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up Privacy Policy He soon moved from the drums to lead vocals. Mr. Huff said he had noticed Mr. Pendergrass while preparing for a Blue Notes recording session, when Mr. Pendergrass was still the band’s drummer. “We was just messing around in the rehearsal room,” Mr. Huff said. “I heard that voice, and my ears perked up. That rich baritone voice was just ringing through.” Signed to Philadelphia International, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes had a string of hits in the ’70s with Mr. Pendergrass singing lead, including “If You Don’t Know Me by Now” in 1972, “The Love I Lost” in 1973 and “Bad Luck” and “Wake Up Everybody,” both in 1975. But there was increasing friction between Mr. Pendergrass and Mr. Melvin, and in 1975 Mr. Pendergrass left the group. Advertisement Continue reading the main story His solo career was an immediate success.

His first solo album, “Teddy Pendergrass,” released in 1977, sold more than a million copies, and so did the two that followed it, “Life Is a Song Worth Singing” in 1978 and “Teddy” in 1979. A concert album, “Teddy Live! Coast to Coast,” went gold, selling more than half a million copies, followed by another million-seller, “TP,” in 1980, and the gold “It’s Time for Love” in 1981. Mr. Pendergrass’s singles were fixtures in the R&B Top 10. Photo Teddy Pendergrass at the Beacon Theater in New York on August 15, 2001. Credit Jack Vartoogian/FrontRowPhotos At his concerts for women, audience members were given chocolate teddy bear-shaped lollipops to lick. In later years, Mr. Pendergrass would say he was slightly embarrassed by those shows. “As outgoing as I am, I’m still a country boy,” he told The Philadelphia Inquirer in 2002.

“It was complimentary, but it was also hard to handle.” After the car crash and physical therapy, Mr. Pendergrass resumed his recording career with “Love Language,” a gold album that included an early appearance by Whitney Houston on the album’s R&B hit single, “Hold Me.” With his 1985 album “Workin’ It Back,” Mr. Pendergrass began writing some of his own songs. His 1988 album “Joy” went gold, and its title track became a No. 1 R&B hit. “Voodoo,” a single from his 1993 album “A Little More Magic,” was nominated for a Grammy Award . (Though he was nominated more than once for the award, he never received one.) Mr. Pendergrass toured in 1996 in a revival of the musical “Your Arms Too Short to Box With God,” singing “Truly Blessed,” a song about him that had been added to the show. He used the same title for a 1991 album and for his 1998 autobiography, written with Patricia Romanowski. In 2000 he sang “Wake Up Everybody” at the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia.

Two years later he performed a concert tour, singing from his wheelchair. In 2008 “I Am Who I Am,” a musical based on Mr. Pendergrass’s life story, was performed by the Black Ensemble Theater in Chicago. Mr. Pendergrass became an advocate for people with spinal cord injuries, forming the Teddy Pendergrass Alliance, a nonprofit group, in 1998 to help them. In 2007, 25 years after his accident, he appeared at “Teddy at 25: A Celebration of Life, Hope and Possibilities,” a benefit concert for the group in Philadelphia. Mr. Pendergrass’s romantic approach was a touchstone for younger generations of R&B Romeos, from Gerald Levert to Maxwell (who did his own ladies-only concerts), and his music has been sampled by rappers including Ghostface Killah and Kanye West. Ahmir (Questlove) Thompson, from the hip-hop group the Roots (formed in Philadelphia), responded to news of Mr.

Pendergrass’s death on Twitter declaring, “Soul will never be the same.” Teddy Pendergrass | SoulTracks - Soul Music Biographies, News and Reviews Soul Music Biographies, News and Reviews Teddy Pendergrass Official Web Site Artist Biography As the lead singer of the vocal group Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes and later as a solo artist, Teddy Pendergrass established himself as one of the most successful R&B male singers of his generation. Pendergrass, Philadelphia native, began singing in church and by his teen years had developed into both a fine vocalist and an excellent drummer. His work in a local group called the Cadillacs ultimately landed him to popular Philly group leader Harold Melvin, who recruited Pendergrass to join his Blue Notes group. Pendergrass's expressive, gruff vocals and his sexy stage presence worked beautifully in the group context, and with production and material from the now legendary Gamble & Huff team, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes became one of the biggest vocal groups of the mid-70s. Top notch tracks such as "If You Don't Know Me By Now," "The Love I Lost" and "Wake Up Everybody" were made even more electric in Pendergrass's hands.

It was natural that a strain would occur where the undoubted focus of the group, Pendergrass, was subordinated in billing to the group's original leader, Melvin. And by 1977 Pendergrass decided to venture on his own, signing with Gamble & Huff , while Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes moved on to ABC. The move paid immediate and long-lasting dividends for Pendergrass, as he became the centerpiece of G&H's stable of stars and beginning a fantastic career as a solo artist that would place him at the top of the R&B world. From 1977 until 1982, Pendergrass released one platinum album after another, highlighted by mostly sensual soul hits like "I Don't Love You Anymore," "Turn Off The Lights" and "Close The Door." He became the first male R&B singer to release five consecutive multi-platinum albums. Tragedy struck in 1982 as a limo accident left Pendergrass a paraplegic and hospitalized. He battled to a return a year later on Elektra Records, but his voice, while still memorable, had lost a noticeable amount of strength.

Despite being confined to a wheelchair, Pendergrass continued to perform publicly and landed another series of major R&B hits, including the duet "Hold Me" (with a young Whitney Houston), "You're My Latest My Greatest Inspiration" and the #1 smash "Joy." Pendergrass later founded the Teddy Pendergrass Alliance, an organization whose mission is to encourage and help people with spinal cord injuries achieve their maximum potential in education, employment, housing, productivity and independence. As the 90s arose, Pendergrass remained active, recording every few years and continuing to chart, albeit at a lower level than in his heyday. In 2001, he made his first concert performance in nearly two decades, performing in Atlantic City to sold out audiences. In 2009, Pendergrass was diagnosed with colon cancer and had surgery. He never fully recovered, and died on January 13, 2010, at age 59.

He will be sorely missed, but as his son, Teddy Pendergrass II, said in a statement, "He will live on through his music." By Chris Rizik Teddy Pendergrass | New Music And Songs | Teddy Pendergrass About Teddy Pendergrass Teddy Pendergrass started singing gospel music in Philadelphia churches, becoming an ordained minister at ten years old. While attending public school, he sang in the citywide McIntyre Elementary School Choir and in the All-City Stetson Junior High School Choir. A self-taught drummer, Pendergrass had a teen pop vocal group when he was 15. By his late teens, Pendergrass was a drummer for local vocal group the Cadillacs. In the late '60s, the Cadillacs merged with another more established group, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. In 1970, when the Blue Notes broke up, Melvin, now aware of Pendergrass' vocal prowess, asked him to take the lead singer spot. It's no secret that Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff wanted Marvin Junior of the Dells for their Philadelphia International Records roster. Since the Dells were signed to Chess, they were unavailable.

When the gruff'n'ready vocals of Pendergrass came their way, they eagerly signed the group. Beginning with "I Miss You," a steady stream of hit singles flowed from the collaboration of Pendergrass and Gamble & Huff: "If You Don't Know Me by Now," "The Love I Lost," "Bad Luck," "Wake Up Everybody" (number one R&B for two weeks in 1976), and two gold albums, To Be True and Wake Up Everybody. Unfortunately, the more success the group had, the more friction developed between Melvin and Pendergrass. Despite the revised billing of the group, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes featuring Theodore Pendergrass, Pendergrass felt that he wasn't getting enough recognition. Around 1976, Pendergrass left Melvin's Blue Notes and formed his own Blue Notes, featuring Teddy Pendergrass. Briefly, there was some confusion as to which Blue Notes were which.

The resolution came when Pendergrass disbanded his Blue Notes in favor of a solo career and Melvin's group signed a recording contract with Source Records, distributed through ABC Records, scoring a hit with "I Want to Be Your Lover." Pendergrass signed a new contract with Philadelphia International Records in late 1976/early 1977. He burst back on the scene with Teddy Pendergrass, a platinum solo debut that included the top-notch singles "I Don't Love You Anymore," "You Can't Hide from Yourself," and "The More I Get the More I Want." Around this time, Pendergrass began to institute his infamous "Ladies Only" concerts. His next three albums went gold or platinum: Life Is a Song Worth Singing (1978), Teddy (1979), and Teddy Live (Coast to Coast). The hit single "Close the Door" was used in the film Soup for One, where Pendergrass had a small role.

The singer received several Grammy nominations during 1977 and 1978, Billboard's 1977 Pop Album New Artist Award, an American Music Award for best R&B performer of 1978, and awards from Ebony magazine and the NAACP. He was also in consideration for the lead in the movie biopic The Otis Redding Story. The '70s ended, but Pendergrass kept racking up the hits. TP, his fifth solo album, went platinum in the summer of 1980 off the singles "Turn Off the Lights," "Come Go with Me," "Shout and Scream," "It's You I Love," and "Can't We Try." It's Time for Love gave Pendergrass another gold album in summer 1981, which included the hit singles "Love TKO" and "I Can't Live Without Your Love." A 1982 car accident left Pendergrass paralyzed from the waist down and wheelchair-bound. After almost a year of physical therapy and counseling, Pendergrass returned to the recording scene, signing a contract with Elektra/Asylum in 1983.

His ninth solo album and Elektra/Asylum debut, Love Language went gold the spring of 1984. Philadelphia International issued two albums of unreleased tracks, This One's for You (1982) and Heaven Only Knows (1983). Other albums included Workin' It Back (1985), Joy (1988, whose title track went to number one R&B for two weeks), and Little More Magic (1993). The latter half of the '90s found Pendergrass recording for the Surefire/Wind Up label. Truly Blessed, the name of an 1991 Elektra album, is also the title of the autobiography Pendergrass co-authored with Patricia Romanowski. Apart from an appearance at a 2007 ceremony held in his honor, Pendergrass spent his later years away from the spotlight. He had difficulty recovering from colon cancer surgery and passed away on January 13, 2010.

~ Ed Hogan, Rovi Remembering Soul Legend Teddy Pendergrass Remembering Soul Legend Teddy Pendergrass By Latifah Muhammad January 14, 2010 2:00 PM REDDIT The tragic loss of Teddy Pendergrass is one that will leave a hole in the hearts of music fans for years to come, yet luckily for the soul singer’s fans (both old and new) his legacy and classic recordings are sure to far outlast his 59 years on this planet. Long before Auto-Tune king T-Pain spun the singer’s moniker and coined himself “Teddy Pendherass Down,” the original item made his lasting mark on everyone who uses music as a tool of seduction, paving the way for lady-killing vocalists like Freddy Jackson and Luther Vandross. The Philly soulman started his career in the ’70s as a drummer for Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, before his undeniable stage presence and knack for throwing unmatched emotion into his performances prompted the group’s founder Harold Melvin to promote him to lead singer.

Pendergrass guided the group rise to fame as the silky baritone voice anchoring hits including ‘If You Don’t Know Me By Now’ and ‘Wake Up Everybody.’ Scott Weiner, Retna oKExp.start(“music-boombox.teddy.pendergrass.death”); By the late 1970s, Pendergrass’ star continued to rise as he released his self-titled solo debut in 1977. Gaining increased notice beyond soul fans and into the pop world, Pendergrass’ music became known for its hypermasculine allure, and he went on to release ‘Life Is a Song Worth Singing’ one year later, spawning the mega-hits ‘Close the Door’ and ‘When Somebody Loves You Back.’ But it wasn’t until 1979 and the release of ‘Turn Off the Lights’ that the Philadelphia crooner took the throne as the king of “baby-making music,” solidifying his status as one of music most prolific and influential performers. His velvety voice held a refreshing hint of aggression, making for a perfect concoction of passionate music.

Teddy Sings ‘When Somebody Loves You Back’ (1979) In 1982, Pendergrass’ life took an unexpected and tragic turn when a car accident changed his life forever. While driving with an acquaintance, the brakes failed on his 1981 Rolls-Royce, causing him to swerve into oncoming traffic before hitting two trees. He was trapped in the vehicle for almost an hour and was left paralyzed from the waist down. While still in recovery, his label, Philadelphia International Records, released ‘This One’s for You.’ Undaunted by circumstances that may have caused others to shy away from the spotlight, Pendergrass, now using a wheelchair, proved his resilience by continuing to release albums and performing. Over 20 years later, Pendergrass announced his retirement from the music industry and went into solitude. He was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2007 and, after a long battle with the disease, passed away on January 13, 2010. Were it not for his unique ability to bring music to life with a sultry sophistication, what we know currently as R&B music would not exist in the form it does today.

Pendergrass was a pioneer, and though his life has ended, the mark he has left on anyone who sings or listens to songs of love will not soon be forgotten. Teddy Performs at the Apollo Hall of Fame Concert (1993) Teddy Pendergrass, R&B Soul Singer, Dies at 59 - Google Groups Teddy Pendergrass, R&B Soul Singer, Dies at 59 Showing 1-2 of 2 messages Teddy Pendergrass, R&B Soul Singer, Dies at 59 By JON PARELES Published: January 14, 2010 Teddy Pendergrass, the Philadelphia soul singer whose husky, potent baritone was one definition of R&B seduction in the 1970s but whose career suffered a blow in 1982 when an auto accident left him severely paralyzed, died on Wednesday night in Bryn Mawr, Pa. He was 59. Jack Vartoogian/FrontRowPhotos Teddy Pendergrass at the Beacon Theater in New York on August 15, 2001. His death was confirmed by his friend and publicist, Lisa Barbaris, who said Mr.

Pendergrass had been hospitalized for treatment of colon cancer since August at Bryn Mawr Hospital and had suffered many complications. As the lead singer for Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, and in a solo career in which he sold millions of albums, Mr. Pendergrass brought gospel dynamics to bedroom vows in songs like "If You Don't Know Me by Now," "The Love I Lost," "Close the Door," "Turn Out the Lights" and "Love T.K.O." His performances rose from breathy whispers to gutsy exhortations, making his voice the deeper, more aggressive counterpart to the styles of 1970s soul men like Al Green and Marvin Gaye. It was the flagship sound for Philadelphia International Records, riding lush strings and big-band disco from the producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. Philadelphia International's songwriters provided Mr. Pendergrass with material that was forthright but never crude, promising nothing more explicit than a back rub. "Teddy had that big, booming baritone voice, but he was a tender man," Mr. Huff said in a telephone interview on Thursday. "He was very lovable. You could hear it in his music." By the late '70s Mr.

Pendergrass's concerts "" some of them presented for women only"" drew screaming, ecstatic crowds who would fling teddy bears and lingerie onstage. Mr. Gamble called Mr. Pendergrass "the black Elvis ." Mr. Pendergrass was a hitmaker for a decade. Then, in 1982, a car crash left him paralyzed from the chest down at the age of 31. Although he could no longer tour, he continued to record, and he had Top 10 rhythm and blues hits and gold albums into the '90s. After the accident, he was seen worldwide in 1985 when he sang at the Live Aid concert in Philadelphia, and he returned occasionally to the stage in the 1990s and 2000s. Theodore DeReese Pendergrass Jr. was born on March 26, 1950, in Kingstree, S.C., and moved to Philadelphia as an infant with his mother, Ida Pendergrass. She survives him, along with his wife, Joan; his children, Teddy Pendergrass II, Trisha Pendergrass and La Donna Pendergrass; and four grandchildren.

Growing up in North Philadelphia, Mr. Pendergrass was steeped in both gospel and soul music. He was 2 years old when he first stood on a chair to sing at a storefront Holiness church, and with his mother's encouragement he often attended church seven days a week. But he was also drawn to the Uptown Theater, which presented top performers on the R&B circuit. When he was a teenager his mother gave him a set of drums, and he taught himself to play them. Mr. Pendergrass dropped out of high school to become a musician, working with R&B and doo-wop groups. In 1969 he joined Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, a vocal group that had been working in Philadelphia since the mid-1950s. He soon moved from the drums to lead vocals. Mr. Huff said that he noticed Mr. Pendergrass while preparing for a Blue Notes recording session, when Mr. Pendergrass was still the band's drummer. "We was just messing around in the rehearsal room," Mr. Huff said. "I heard that voice, and my ears perked up.

That rich baritone voice was just ringing through." Signed to Philadelphia International, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes had a string of hits in the '70s with Mr. Pendergrass singing lead, including "If You Don't Know Me by Now" in 1972, "The Love I Lost" in 1973 and "Bad Luck" and "Wake Up Everybody," both in 1975. But there was increasing friction between Mr. Pendergrass and Mr. Melvin, and in 1975 Mr. Pendergrass left the group. His solo career was an immediate success. His first solo album, "Teddy Pendergrass," released in 1977, sold more than a million copies, and so did the two that followed it, "Life Is a Song Worth Singing" in 1978 and "Teddy" in 1979. A concert album, "Teddy Live! Coast to Coast," went gold, selling more than half a million copies, followed by another million-seller, "TP," in 1980, and the gold "It's Time for Love" in 1981. Mr.

Pendergrass's singles were fixtures in the R&B Top 10. At his concerts for women, audience members were given chocolate teddy bear-shaped lollipops to lick. In later years, Mr. Pendergrass would say he was slightly embarrassed by those shows. "As outgoing as I am, I'm still a country boy," he told The Philadelphia Inquirer in 2002. "It was complimentary, but it was also hard to handle." On March 18, 1982, on a winding road in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, Mr. Pendergrass's Rolls-Royce smashed into a highway divider and a tree, the result of either brake failure or a faulty electric system that had disabled the power steering. Spinal cord injuries left him paralyzed. But after extensive physical therapy he resumed his recording career with "Love Language," a gold album that included an early appearance by Whitney Houston on the album's R&B hit single, "Hold Me." His voice was less forceful but still recognizable, as he substituted nuance for lung power. With his 1985 album "Workin' It Back," Mr. Pendergrass began writing some of his own songs.

His 1988 album "Joy" went gold, and its title track became a No. 1 R&B hit. "Voodoo," a single from his 1993 album "A Little More Magic," was nominated for a Grammy Award . Mr. Pendergrass toured in 1996 in a revival of the musical "Your Arms Too Short to Box With God," singing "Truly Blessed." He used that same title for a 1991 album and for his 1998 autobiography, written with Patricia Romanowski. In 2002 he performed a concert tour, singing from his wheelchair. In 2008 "I Am Who I Am," a musical by Jackie Taylor based on his life story, was performed by the Black Ensemble Theater in Chicago. In 2007, 25 years after his accident, Mr. Pendergrass appeared at "Teddy at 25: A Celebration of Life, Hope and Possibilities," a benefit concert in Philadelphia for the Teddy Pendergrass Alliance, a nonprofit organization for people with spinal cord injuries that he formed in 1998. His music reached not only across decades but also across generations.

With his death, Ahmir (Questlove) Thompson of the hip-hop group Roots tweeted, "Soul will never be the same." Teddy Pendergrass, Philadelphia Soul Singer, Dead At 59 - MTV mtv Gil Kaufman 01/14/2010 One of the world's great soul men, singer [artist id="14014"]Teddy Pendergrass[/artist], died at age 59 on Wednesday after a long battle with colon cancer. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Pendergrass, who was paralyzed after a 1982 car accident, died in a Philly hospital eight months after undergoing colon cancer surgery and suffering through a difficult recovery.

In his prime in the 1970s, Pendergrass was one of the premier R&B singers in America, leading Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes to the top of the charts with indelible soul classics such as "If You Don't Know Me by Now" and "I Miss You." After leaving the Blue Notes in 1976, Pendergrass recorded a series of solo hits for the legendary Philadelphia International label into the 1980s, including his signature between-the-sheets hit, "Love T.K.O." Unlike some of the other velvety Philly-sound singers such as Al Green, Pendergrass' deep baritone had a gritty, masculine edge that he worked out on seductive slow jams like "Feel the Fire, "Close the Door," "Come Go With Me," "Turn off the Lights" and "It's Time for Love." He created a new template for the modern R&B singer with his aggressive brand of soul and his smooth, ladies'-man image on songs that were sexually charged but never coarse or vulgar.

The singer's life was forever altered in 1982 when he crashed his Rolls Royce in Philadelphia, leaving the then-31-year-old singer paralyzed from the waist down. After a year of rehabilitation, he returned in 1983 with the album Love Language and performed from his wheelchair at Live Aid in 1985, but his musical career would never regain its momentum. The powerful, seductive persona that Pendergrass had honed in his peak years had been diminished in the aftermath of the crash, as was the strength of his voice, but Pendergrass was not entirely deterred by his challenge. He continued to record sporadically throughout the 1980s, and in 1998, he formed the Teddy Pendergrass Alliance to benefit victims of spinal cord injuries. Like many Philly stars, Pendergrass' hits were written and produced by the legendary team of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, who recounted Pendergrass' solo debut at a Los Angeles nightclub in an interview with Philly radio station WDAS. "That night I saw the coming of a superstar," Huff said. "When Teddy walked out on the stage, he didn't even open his mouth and the place went crazy with screaming females.

He was just so dynamic, and when he started singing, he just blew them away." Gamble and Huff said in a statement on their Web site that they were "deeply saddened" by the death of the man they called their best friend and "one of the greatest." "He had about 10 platinum albums in a row, so he was a very, very successful recording artist and as a performing artist," Gamble told The Associated Press. "He had a tremendous career ahead of him, and the accident sort of got in the way of many of those plans. ... He never showed me that he was angry at all about his accident. ... In fact, he was very courageous." Teddy Pendergrass Remembered Pendergrass was born in 1950 in South Carolina and raised in North Philadelphia, where he was raised by his mother, Ida Epps. He began singing early, honing his chops at the ripe age of 2 by belting out gospel standards at the Glad Tidings Baptist Church alongside his mother. Pendergrass got his start as a drummer, working behind the Philly band the Cadillacs and then joining Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes in 1970.

He was promoted to lead singer of that group the next year after vocalist John Atkins quit. The act was signed to Gamble and Huff's Philadelphia International label in 1972 and began releasing a string of hit singles that included "Don't Leave Me This Way" and "Bad Luck." Pendergrass left the Blue Notes at the peak of their success in 1976 to go solo. His first post-crash album in 1984 featured a duet with the then-unknown Whitney Houston on the song "Hold Me." He released his autobiography, "Truly Blessed," in 1998 and retired from music in 2006. Among those paying tribute to Pendergrass was fellow Philly native ?uestlove of the Roots, who tweeted , "Sad loss. Just heard the immortal Teddy Pendergrass has just gone to a better place. Soul will never be the same." Teddy Pendergrass - Bio, Facts, Family | Famous Birthdays Teddy Pendergrass Singer Born In Pennsylvania#40 About R&B and soul singer and songwriter who was the lead singer in the group Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes.

He has been nominated for five Grammy Awards, including one for "Close the Door." Before Fame He was ordained as a minister at the age of ten. One of his first groups was Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. Trivia He was paralyzed from the waist down after undergoing a horrific car accident. He founded the Teddy Pendergrass Alliance, a group that helps people with spine injuries. Family Life He married Karen Still in July 1987 and, after their divorce in March 2002, he remarried Joan. Teddy Pendergrass Page b. Theodore DeReese 'Teddy' Pendergrass, Jr., 26th March 1950, Kingstree, South Carolina. U.S.A. d. 13th January 2010, Bryn Mawr Hospital, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Teddy Pendergrass was born to Ida Geraldine Epps and the late Jesse Pendergrass. He was a student at the old Thomas Edison High School for Boys in Philadelphia. Teddy left school in the 11th grade to go into the music business.

When he was young, Teddy was ordained a minister and became a drummer to further his musical ambitions. Teddy became the drummer for the group The Cadillacs , who later merged with Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes . He became the lead singer and the group signed with Gamble & Huff on the then CBS subsidiary Philadelphia International Records in 1972. Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes were hugely successful, scoring chart hits with songs such as 'I Miss You', 'Bad Luck', 'Wake Up Everybody' and the multi million seller 'If You Don't Know Me By Now'. Teddy left the group in 1977, launching a solo career, resulting in the releases 'The More I Get the More I Want', 'Close the Door', 'I Don't Love You Anymore', 'Turn Off the Lights' and 'The Whole Town's Laughing At Me'.

His first PIR solo album was the self titled 'Teddy Pendergrass' (in 1977), which was followed by 'Life is a Song Worth Singing' (in 1978), 'Live Coast to Coast' and 'Teddy' (in 1979), 1980's 'TP' and the final Philadelphia International Records album 'It's Time for Love' (in 1981). He also sang a duet with Whitney Houston on "Hold Me", from her self-titled debut album. On 18th of March, 1982, in the Germantown section of Philadelphia on Lincoln Drive, Teddy was involved in an automobile accident when the brakes failed on his Rolls-Royce and he hit a tree. Teddy and his passenger, Tenika Watson, were trapped in the wreckage for 45 minutes. As a result of the accident, Teddy suffered a spinal cord injury leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. In August 1982, PIR also released 'This One's for You', while Teddy was recovering from the automobile accident.

In 1983, the album 'Heaven Only Knows' was released, containing his final pre-accident recordings. In 1988, Teddy released the album 'Joy', which featured the popular songs 'Joy' and '2 a.m.' He relocated to a new label in 1996 after a lengthy gap in his career, recording 'Believe In Love', which was considered as one of his finest recorded moments in recent years. In 2009, Teddy underwent colon cancer surgery and had difficulty recovering. The operation was related to complications from injuries resulting from an earlier 1982 car accident. He died on the 13th of January 2010, while hospitalized at Bryn Mawr Hospital in suburban Philadelphia. Albums: Teddy Pendergrass (Philadelphia International 1977) Life Is A Song Worth Singing (Philadelphia International 1978) Teddy (Philadelphia International 1979) Teddy Live!

(Coast To Coast) (Philadelphia International 1979) TP (Philadelphia International 1980) It's Time For Love (Philadelphia International 1981) This One's For You (Philadelphia International 1982) Heaven Only Knows (Philadelphia International 1983) Love Language (Asylum 1984) Workin' It Back (Asylum 1985) Joy (Elektra 1988) Little More Magic (Elektra 1993) You And I (BMG/Surefire 1997) King Biscuit Presents Live - 2002 Concert (King Biscuit 2002) From Teddy With Love (Razor & Tie 2002) Teddy Pendergrass | Biography & History | AllMusic google+ Artist Biography by Ed Hogan Teddy Pendergrass started singing gospel music in Philadelphia churches, becoming an ordained minister at ten years old. While attending public school, he sang in the citywide McIntyre Elementary School Choir and in the All-City Stetson Junior High School Choir.

A self-taught drummer, Pendergrass had a teen pop vocal group when he was 15. By his late teens, Pendergrass was a drummer for local vocal group the Cadillacs . In the late '60s, the Cadillacs merged with another more established group, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes . In 1970, when the Blue Notes broke up, Melvin , now aware of Pendergrass ' vocal prowess, asked him to take the lead singer spot. It's no secret that Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff wanted Marvin Junior of the Dells for their Philadelphia International Records roster. Since the Dells were signed to Chess, they were unavailable. When the gruff'n'ready vocals of Pendergrass came their way, they eagerly signed the group. Beginning with "I Miss You," a steady stream of hit singles flowed from the collaboration of Pendergrass and Gamble & Huff : "If You Don't Know Me by Now," "The Love I Lost," "Bad Luck," "Wake Up Everybody" (number one R&B for two weeks in 1976), and two gold albums, To Be True and Wake Up Everybody .

Unfortunately, the more success the group had, the more friction developed between Melvin and Pendergrass . Despite the revised billing of the group, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes featuring Theodore Pendergrass , Pendergrass felt that he wasn't getting enough recognition. Around 1976, Pendergrass left Melvin 's Blue Notes and formed his own Blue Notes , featuring Teddy Pendergrass . Briefly, there was some confusion as to which Blue Notes were which. The resolution came when Pendergrass disbanded his Blue Notes in favor of a solo career and Melvin 's group signed a recording contract with Source Records, distributed through ABC Records, scoring a hit with "I Want to Be Your Lover." Pendergrass signed a new contract with Philadelphia International Records in late 1976/early 1977. He burst back on the scene with Teddy Pendergrass , a platinum solo debut that included the top-notch singles "I Don't Love You Anymore," "You Can't Hide from Yourself," and "The More I Get the More I Want." Around this time, Pendergrass began to institute his infamous "Ladies Only" concerts.

His next three albums went gold or platinum: Life Is a Song Worth Singing (1978), Teddy (1979), and Teddy Live (Coast to Coast) . The hit single "Close the Door" was used in the film Soup for One, where Pendergrass had a small role. The singer received several Grammy nominations during 1977 and 1978, Billboard's 1977 Pop Album New Artist Award, an American Music Award for best R&B performer of 1978, and awards from Ebony magazine and the NAACP. He was also in consideration for the lead in the movie biopic The Otis Redding Story. The '70s ended, but Pendergrass kept racking up the hits.

TP , his fifth solo album, went platinum in the summer of 1980 off the singles "Turn Off the Lights," "Come Go with Me," "Shout and Scream," "It's You I Love," and "Can't We Try." It's Time for Love gave Pendergrass another gold album in summer 1981, which included the hit singles "Love TKO" and "I Can't Live Without Your Love." A 1982 car accident left Pendergrass paralyzed from the waist down and wheelchair-bound. After almost a year of physical therapy and counseling, Pendergrass returned to the recording scene, signing a contract with Elektra/Asylum in 1983. His ninth solo album and Elektra/Asylum debut, Love Language went gold the spring of 1984. Philadelphia International issued two albums of unreleased tracks, This One's for You (1982) and Heaven Only Knows (1983). Other albums included Workin' It Back (1985), Joy (1988, whose title track went to number one R&B for two weeks), and Little More Magic (1993).

The latter half of the '90s found Pendergrass recording for the Surefire/Wind Up label. Truly Blessed , the name of an 1991 Elektra album, is also the title of the autobiography Pendergrass co-authored with Patricia Romanowski. Apart from an appearance at a 2007 ceremony held in his honor, Pendergrass spent his later years away from the spotlight. He had difficulty recovering from colon cancer surgery and passed away on January 13, 2010.

Question: Teddy Pendergrass was the lead singer of which soul group?
Answer: (Harold Melvin and the) Bluenotes